The Transition Team is also being investigated as unlawfully undisclosed Russian contacts emerged. Read about these on The Meetings page
“Erik Prince, founder of private military company Blackwater, and sister to unsharpened pencil Betsy DeVos, met several times with top Donald Trump aides before and after the election, Bloomberg reports. Prince advised the transition team on anti-terrorism policy, intelligence agency restructuring, and staff appointments. In his own words, Prince’s advisory role was unofficial but “significant.”
Earlier in April, Prince made headlines for arranging a secret January meeting [January 11, 2017 with Sergey Kislyak] with a senior Kremlin official in the Seychelles islands, an alleged attempt to establish a private backchannel for U.S.-Russian diplomacy. Prince, who donated $250,000 post-national convention to Trump’s presidential campaign, the national party, and a pro-Trump super PAC, told Washington Post that the meeting, which is being investigated by the FBI as part of a probe into Russian election interference, “had nothing to do with President Trump.”
Sources said Prince’s main point of contact with the Trump camp was former National Security Adviser Michael Flynn, who was dismissed for illegally discussing sanctions with Russia before inauguration. Prince also reportedly spent a train ride in November critiquing the intelligence community with Kellyanne Conway and current National Security Council member Kevin Harrington. Sure sounds like someone who played some role in the transition, if not directly served it as a shadow diplomat.” DeathandTaxesMag.com
Sources said Prince’s main point of contact with the Trump camp was former National Security Adviser Michael Flynn, who was dismissed for illegally discussing sanctions with Russia before inauguration. Prince also reportedly spent a train ride in November critiquing the intelligence community with Kellyanne Conway and current National Security Council member Kevin Harrington. Sure sounds like someone who played some role in the transition, if not directly served it as a shadow diplomat.” DeathandTaxesMag.com
Sergey Kislyak in the Seychelles Islands to establish a backchannel for US-Russian diplomacy founder of private military company Blackwater, and sister to unsharpened pencil Betsy DeVos, met several times with top Donald Trump aides before and after the election, Bloomberg reports. Prince advised the transition team on anti-terrorism policy, intelligence agency restructuring, and staff appointments. In his own words, Prince’s advisory role was unofficial but “significant.”
Earlier in April, Prince made headlines for arranging a secret January meeting (January 11, 2016 with Sergey Kislyak) with a senior Kremlin official in the Seychelles islands, an alleged attempt to establish a private backchannel for U.S.-Russian diplomacy. Prince, who donated $250,000 post-national convention to Trump’s presidential campaign, the national party, and a pro-Trump super PAC, told Washington Post that the meeting, which is being investigated by the FBI as part of a probe into Russian election interference, “had nothing to do with President Trump.”
Sources said Prince’s main point of contact with the Trump camp was former National Security Adviser Michael Flynn, who was dismissed for illegally discussing sanctions with Russia before inauguration. Prince also reportedly spent a train ride in November critiquing the intelligence community with Kellyanne Conway and current National Security Council member Kevin Harrington. Sure sounds like someone who played some role in the transition, if not directly served it as a shadow diplomat.” DeathandTaxesMag.com
“During the campaign, Prince donated $100,000 to the Trump Victory Committee, which supported both Trump’s election bid and the Republican Party. Jeremy Scahill, a journalist who has long covered Prince, recently wrote that the businessman is advising the Trump Administration. Just four days before the election, Prince gave an interview to Breitbart radio, part of the media empire that Bannon used to run, in which Prince pushed an unfounded theory that the NYPD had been about to announce arrest warrants in the Clinton investigation but was blocked by the Justice Department, and that Hillary Clinton had been to a “sex island” with a convicted pedophile “at least six times.” Prince’s bizarre claims were prominently displayed on Breitbart’s website leading up to the election and were widely distributed on right wing websites.” Buzzfeed
Andy Beal Donor and Billionaire banker on Trump’s Economic Advisory Council Dallas News
Bud McFarlane security consultant, picked KT McFarland as his protege.
BALLOTPEDIA
| Transition team leadership | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Name | Transition team role | Notable experience | Source |
| Rick Dearborn | Executive director | Chief of staff to Sen. Jeff Sessions | Politico |
| Mike Pence | Chair | Vice president-elect | The New York Times |
| Michael Flynn. | Vice chair | Retired U.S. Army general | The New York Times |
| Rudy Giuliani | Vice chair | Former mayor of NYC | The New York Times |
| Chris Christie | Vice chair | Governor of New Jersey | The New York Times |
| Jeff Sessions | Vice chair | U.S. Senator from Alabama | Fox News |
| Ben Carson | Vice chair | Former pediatric neurosurgeon | Politico |
| Marsha Blackburn | Vice chair | U.S. Representative from Tennessee | Politico |
| Mary Fallin | Vice chair | Gov. of Oklahoma | Politico |
| Cynthia Lummis | Vice chair | U.S. Representative from Wyoming | Politico |
| K.T. McFarland | Vice chair | Deputy National Security Advisor | Politico |
| Cathy McMorris Rodgers | Vice chair | U.S. Representative from Washington | Politico |
| Tim Scott | Vice chair | U.S. Senator from South Caorlina | Politico |
| Tom Reed | Vice chair | U.S. Representative from New York | Politico |
Executive committee
| Transition team executive committee | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Name | Transition team role | Notable experience | Source |
| Lou Barletta | Executive committee member | U.S. Representative from Pennsylvania | Fox News |
| Pam Bondi | Executive committee member | Florida Attorney General | Fox News |
| Chris Collins | Executive committee member | U.S. Representative from New York | Fox News |
| Jared Kushner | Executive committee member | Trump son-in-law | Fox News |
| Tom Marino | Executive committee member | U.S. Representative from Pennsylvania | Fox News |
| Rebekah Mercer | Executive committee member | Trump donor | Fox News |
| Steven Mnuchin | Executive committee member | Former Goldman Sachs partner | Fox News |
| Devin Nunes | Executive committee member | Chairman of the House intelligence committee | Fox News |
| Anthony Scaramucci | Executive committee member | Founder of SkyBridge Capital | Fox News |
| Peter Thiel | Executive committee member | Venture capitalist | Fox News |
| Reince Priebus | Executive committee member | Republican National Committee Chairman | Fox News |
| Steve Bannon | Executive committee member | Trump campaign CEO | Fox News |
| Donald Trump Jr. | Executive committee member | Donald Trump’s son | Fox News |
| Eric Trump | Executive committee member | Donald Trump’s son | Fox News |
| Ivanka Trump | Executive committee member | Donald Trump’s daughter | Fox News |
| Sean Duffy | Executive committee member | U.S. Representative from Wisconsin | Politico |
| Trey Gowdy | Executive committee member | U.S. Representative from South Carolina | Politico |
| Dennis Ross | Executive committee member | U.S. Representative from Florida | Politico |
| Darrell Scott | Executive committee member | Pastor in Cleveland, Ohio | Politico |
| Kiron Skinner | Executive committee member | Hoover Institution Research Fellow | Politico |
| Amata Coleman Radewagen | Executive committee member | American Samoa delegate to U.S. House | President-elect Donald Trump |
| Butch Anderson | Executive committee member | Dutchess County, New York, Sheriff | President-elect Donald Trump |
| Safra Catz | Executive committee member | CEO of Oracle | President-elect Donald Trump |
| Tom Dadey | Executive committee member | Chairman of Onondaga County (N.Y.) Republican Party | President-elect Donald Trump |
| Nick Langworthy | Executive committee member | Chairman of Erie County (N.Y.) Republican Party | President-elect Donald Trump |
| Omarosa Manigault | Executive committee member | Trump presidential campaign director of African American outreach | President-elect Donald Trump |
| Mike McCormack | Executive committee member | Chairman of Dutchess County (N.Y.) Republican Party | President-elect Donald Trump |
| Joe Mondello | Executive committee member | Chairman of Nassau County (N.Y.) Republican Party | President-elect Donald Trump |
| John Sweeney | Executive committee member | Former U.S. Representative from New York | President-elect Donald Trump |
Agency Action Team
The Agency Action Team consisted of advisors who work in specific policy areas to vet and advise on potential administration choices for staff and cabinet positions.
| Agency Action Team | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Name | Policy area | Notable experience | Source |
| Ron Nicol | Director of agency action | Politico | |
| Defense | |||
| Name | Policy area | Notable experience | Source |
| Keith Kellogg | Defense action team leader | Former Lt. Gen. U.S. Army | Politico |
| Mira Ricardel | Defense advisor | Consultant for Federal Budget IQ | Politico |
| Michael Meese | VA advisor | Politico | |
| National security | |||
| Name | Policy area | Notable experience | Source |
| Mike Rogers | National security action team leader | Politico | |
| Jim Carafano | State advisor | Politico | |
| Cindy Hayden | Homeland security advisor | Director of Altria Client Services | Politico |
| Ron Burgess | Intelligence advisor | Politico | |
| Kevin O’Connor | Justice advisor | Politico | |
| Economic issues | |||
| Name | Policy area | Notable experience | Source |
| Bill Walton | Economic issues action team leader | Politico | |
| David Malpass | Treasury advisor | Former Deputy Assistant Secretary of State | Politico |
| Ray Washburne | Commerce advisor | Trump Victory Committee vice chair | Politico |
| Dan DiMicco | U.S. Trade Representative advisor | Former CEO of steel company Nucor | Politico |
| Paul Atkins | Independent financial agencies advisor | CEO of advisory firm Patomak Global Partners | Politico |
| Christine Toretti | Small Business Administration advisor | Politico | |
| Jeff Eisenach | Federal Communications Commission advisor | Politico | |
| Michael Korbey | Social Security Administration advisor | Politico | |
| Domestic issues | |||
| Name | Policy area | Notable experience | Source |
| Ken Blackwell | Domestic issues action team leader | Senior fellow at Family Research Council | Politico |
| Myron Ebell | Environmental Protection Agency advisor | Director of Center for Energy and Environment at the Competitive Enterprise Institute | Politico |
| Steve Hart | Labor advisor | Chairman of Williams and Jensen, a Washington, D.C., lobbying firm | Politico |
| Andrew Bremberg | Health and Human Services advisor | Policy advisor to Sen. Mitch McConnell | Politico |
| Shirley Ybarra | Department of Transportation advisor | Politico | |
| James F. Manning | Education advisor | Former Department of Education official | Politico |
| Williamson Evers | Education advisor | Education research fellow at the Hoover Institution | Politico |
| David Bernhardt | Interior advisor | Lobbyist with Brownstein Hyatt Farber Schreck | Politico |
| Management and budget | |||
| Name | Policy area | Notable experience | Source |
| Ed Meese | Management and budget issues action team leader | Former Attorney General | TalkingPointsMemo |
| Kay Cole James | Office of Emergency Management advisor | Former director of the Office of Personnel Management | Politico |
| Paul Winfree | Office of Management and Budget advisor | Director of the Thomas A. Roe Institute for Economic Policy Research at the Heritage Foundation | Politico |
| Linda Springer | Office of Management and Budget advisor | Former director of Office of Personnel Management | Politico |
| Agency transformation and innovation | |||
| Name | Policy area | Notable experience | Source |
| Beth Kaufman | Agency transformation and innovation team leader | Politico | |
| Jonathan Beck | Agency transformation and innovation team leader | Politico | |
Agency Landing Teams
Landing teams were made up of advisors who met with existing government agency operatives to begin receiving briefings for transition.
Policy Implementation Team
| Policy Implementation Team | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Name | Transition team role | Notable experience | Source |
| Ado Machida | Policy implementation team leader | Former domestic policy aide for Vice President Dick Cheney | Politico |
| Andrew Bremberg | Executive legal action team leader | Policy advisor to Sen. Mitch McConnell | NPR |
| Carlos Diaz-Rosillo | Executive authority advisor | Harvard University lecturer | Politico |
| Danielle Cutrona | Immigration reform and building the wall advisor | Counsel to Sen. Jeff Sessions | Politico |
| Paula Stannard | Healthcare reform advisor | Former counsel at Department of Health and Human Services | Politico |
| Bert Mizusawa | Defense and national security advisor | Major General in U.S. Army Reserve | Politico |
| Jim Carter | Tax reform advisor | In-house lobbyist for Emerson | Politico |
| Bill Chatfield | VA reform advisor | Politico | |
| Rob Gordon | Regulatory reform advisor | Counsel for House Natural Resources Committee | Politico |
| Gerard Robinson | Education advisor | Education policy fellow at American Enterprise Institute | Politico |
| Martin Whitmer | Transportation and infrastructure advisor | Lobbyist at Whitmer and Worrall | Politico |
| Ken Klukowski | Protecting constitutional rights advisor | Senior counsel at First Liberty Institute | Politico |
Leadership staff
| Leadership staff | ||
|---|---|---|
| Name | Transition team role | Source |
| Nick Ayers | Senior advisor, Vice president-elect | Politico |
| Kellyanne Conway | Senior advisor | Politico |
| David Bossie | Deputy executive director | Politico |
| Aaron Chang | Advance lead | Politico |
| Steven Cheung | Director of rapid response | Politico |
| A.J. Delgado | Senior advisor | Politico |
| Jeff DeWit | Special advisor for operations | Politico |
| Jessica Ditto | Deputy communications director | Politico |
| George Gigicos | Director of advance | Politico |
| Michael Glassner | Special advisor for operations | Politico |
| Stephanie Grisham | Press director | Politico |
| Hope Hicks | National press secretary | Politico |
| Donald McGahn | General counsel | Politico |
| Jason Miller | Communications director | Politico |
| Stephen Miller | National policy director | Politico |
| Katrina Pierson | Senior advisor | Politico |
| Josh Pitcock | Senior advisor, Vice president-elect | Politico |
| Daniel Scavino | Director of social media | Politico |
| Marc Short | Senior advisor, Vice president-elect | Politico |
| Sean Spicer | Senior communications advisor | Politico |
| Katie Walsh | Senior advisor | Politico |
| Bryan Lanza | Deputy communications director | President-elect Donald Trump |
Other advisors and staff
| Transition team advisors and staff | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Name | Transition team role | Notable experience | Source |
| William Hagerty | Director of presidential appointments | TalkingPointsMemo | |
| John Rader | Deputy director of presidential appointments | Former aide to Sen. Bob Corker | TalkingPointsMemo |
| Bill Palatucci | General counsel | Former aide to Gov. Chris Christie | TalkingPointsMemo |
| Rob Collins | Personnel | Lobbyist with S-3 Group | Politico |
| Sandra Luff | Defense and national security | Aide to Sen. Jeff Sessions, [Hired at FACEBOOK as VP of US Public Policy] | Politico |
| Rolf Lundberg | Trade reform | Senior vice president at U.S. Chamber of Commerce | Politico |
| Mike Ference | Energy independence | Lobbyist with S-3 Group | Politico |
| Brian Johnson | Financial services | Counsel for House Financial Services Committee | Politico |
| Townsend McNitt | Education | Former deputy chief of staff at Department of Education | Politico |
| Richard Bagger | Former aide to Gov. Chris Christie | TalkingPointsMemo | |
| Kris Kobach | Immigration advisor | Kansas Secretary of State | TalkingPointsMemo |
| Ed Feulner | Former president of the Heritage Foundation | TalkingPointsMemo | |
| Jamie Burke | White House liaison to Health and Human Services | Politico | |
| Alan Cobb | Trump campaign director of coalitions | Politico | |
Resignations, demotions, and terminations
Resignations
- Mike Rogers, former House Intelligence Committee Chair: Rogers resigned from the transition team on November 15, 2016. He helped to guide the transition’s work in national security issues.[1]
- Michael Catanzaro, lobbyist at CGCN: Catanzaro resigned from the transition team on November 21, 2016, after the incoming administration required lobbyists to terminate all existing lobbying contracts.[2] Catanzaro had been an energy independence advisor.[3]
- Michael Torrey, owner of Michael Torrey Associates: Torrey resigned from the transition team on November 21, 2016, after the incoming administration required lobbyists to terminate all existing lobbying contracts.[2] He had been an agriculture advisor.[4]
- Michael McKenna, lobbyist with MWR Strategies: McKenna resigned from the transition team on November 21, 2016, after the incoming administration required lobbyists to terminate all existing lobbying contracts.[2] He had been an energy advisor.[4]
Demotions
- Chris Christie: Christie was demoted from his position as chair on November 11, 2016, after Vice President Mike Pence took over control of the transition, according to The New York Times.[5]
- Richard Bagger: Bagger, Christie’s former chief of staff, had been leading the transition team prior to Trump’s election in November 2016.[6]
- Bill Palatucci: Palatucci was the general counsel for the transition team but saw his role reduced in November 2016 when Christie was demoted. Palatucci is a former law partner of Christie.[6]
Terminations
- Matthew Freedman: Freedman had been advising the transition team on national security issues before being fired as part of what The New York Times called “a purge orchestrated by Jared Kushner, Mr. Trump’s son-in-law and close adviser.”[7]
- Michael Flynn Jr.: Flynn Jr., the son of retired Army General Michael Flynn, was involved in early transition efforts. According to transition spokesman Jason Miller, “The younger Michael Flynn was helping his father with some administration and scheduling duties early on in the transition process and he is no longer involved with transition efforts.”[8]
